Syrian foreign minister inspects embassy premises in Riyadh

Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Faisal Mekdad made an inspection tour of the headquarters of his country’s embassy in Riyadh. The foreign minister’s visit to the embassy premises, the first of its kind in over 11 years, was to personally review the ongoing preparations for the reopening of the embassy.

Mekdad and his accompanying delegation arrived in Riyadh on Monday in response to an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan to attend the second joint ministerial meeting of the Arab countries and the Pacific Islands Group.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Mekdad visited the headquarters of the Syrian embassy to see the readiness of the building and the ongoing preparations for the reopening of the embassy, especially in terms of resuming the provision of consular services to the Syrian community in Saudi Arabia in the near future.

The inspection was part of the ongoing preparations by the two countries to reopen their diplomatic missions in both countries at the earliest possible. The Saudi technical delegation made an inspection tour of the Saudi embassy premises in the Syrian capital at the end of last month.

Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, well-informed sources revealed that the Syrian Foreign Ministry will give final shape to its embassy staff in Riyadh, and that the Syrian ambassador likely to arrive in Riyadh after the Eid al-Adha holidays.

According to the sources, Damascus is yet to appoint it’s ambassador-designate to Riyadh, though it was taken the decision to send new ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi technical delegation has completed the procedures for the return of the Saudi ambassador to Syria.

The Syrian Ambassador Mahdi Dakhlallah left Riyadh in February 2012 following Saudi Arabia’s severing of diplomatic relations with Syria.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Mekdad paid an official visit to Riyadh in April this year after a hiatus of 12 years. The minister’s visit was in response to an invitation extended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan.

During the visit, the foreign ministers held wide range of talks focusing mainly on the efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis in a way preserving Syria’s unity, security and stability.

Issues such as the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and ensuring the access of humanitarian aid to the affected areas in Syria also figured high in their talks.

Germany resumes oil imports from Iran

Germany has imported a significant shipment of crude oil or petroleum products from Iran for the first time in five years, according to the latest data by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Germany imported 69,737 tons of crude oil or petroleum products from Iran in March 2023 despite the US sanctions that ban any trade of energy products with Iran, IRNA reported.

The country's last import of Iranian crude was a 10,000 tons shipment in October 2018.

Germany's move comes at a time when the US government has yet to make any changes to its unlawful sanctions policy against Iran despite its claim of seeking a diplomatic solution to ease tensions.

Bulgaria, another EU member, also imported 147 tons crude oil or petroleum products from Iran in the first quarter of the year 2023, although the figure is relatively small, according to Eurostat.

The European Union’s total oil imports from Iran during this period, based on data by Eurostat, was 69,884 tons, a figure not seen since 2018 when the US withdrew from the historic nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Now after five years, European refineries seem increasingly inclined to disregard U.S. sanctions, particularly in the wake of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

 

US foreign policy driven by military complexes

It is believed that the top think-tanks operating in the United States, active in foreign policy sphere, receive financial support from the top US military complexes that include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman etc.

For Years, the US administration has been claiming that the country’s foreign policy is centered on human values like democracy, peace, freedom, and respect to other nations.

However, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft recently published a detailed report which concluded that the US arms companies play a substantial role in shaping the country’s foreign policy.

The Institute suggests that of 10 top American think-tanks which are active in foreign policy sphere, all of them receive financial support from American firms including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman etc.

In this regard, Atlantic Council and Center for Strategic and International Studies receive more than a million US dollars from these companies annually. 

The issue clarifies why most of American well-known think-tanks support the selling of arms to Ukraine, which is not the whole story.

According to the Quincy Institute report, more than 85% of the US media is in the long list of the recipients of the funds. The issue which unveils the fact that the US arms firms justify their inhuman aims by using the research and media tools.

Although different reports also refer to the fact that US arms’ firms use lobbyists for every member of the US Congress to advance their agendas in a desired way.

In this vein, it is not surprising to see that the US foreign policy has created historical catastrophes like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

It is noteworthy that in the midst of the Ukraine war, the executive manager of the US firm Raytheon Technologies clearly said, “Geopolitical tensions of Eastern Europe carry profitable income opportunities for the company”.

From this perspective, it is fair to say that behind the well-designed foreign policy are the policy carvers which meet their goals at the expense of US citizens.

This once again confirms the fact that the distance between declared and practical goals of the US foreign policy is from the earth to the sky.      

 

 

Pakistan pays Russian crude price in Chinese currency

According to a Reuters report, Pakistan has paid for its first government to government import of discounted Russian crude in Chinese currency. It is a significant shift in its US dollar dominated export payments policy.

Discounted crude offers respite as Pakistan faces an acute balance of payments crisis, risking a default on its debt obligations. The foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank are scarcely enough to cover four weeks of controlled imports.

The first cargo of discounted Russian crude oil arranged under a new deal struck between Islamabad and Moscow earlier this year arrived in Karachi on Sunday. It is currently being offloaded at the port in the southern city of Karachi.

Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, talking to Reuters by phone, did not disclose the commercial details of the deal, including pricing or the discount that Pakistan received, but said the payment was made in Chinese currency.

He said the purchase, Pakistan's first government-to-government (G2G) deal with Russia, consisted of 100,000 tons, of which 45,000 tons had docked at Karachi port and the rest was on its way. Pakistan made the purchase back in April.

Pakistan's purchase gives Moscow a new outlet to add to growing sales to India and China, as it redirects oil from western markets because of the Ukraine conflict.

Despite being a long-standing Western ally and the arch-rival of neighbouring India, which historically is closer to Moscow, analysts say the crude deal also presents a new avenue for Pakistan at a time that its financing needs are great.

Pakistan's Refinery Limited (PRL) will initially refine the Russian crude, the minister said. He had earlier referred to the purchase of the shipment as a trial run to judge financial and technical feasibility.

Malik on Monday played down concerns around the financial viability and concerns about the ability of local refineries to process Russian crude given the South Asian country's historical importation of Middle Eastern petroleum products.

"We've run iterations of various product mixes, and in no scenario will the refining of this crude make a loss," Malik said, adding, "We are very sure it will be commercially viable."

"No adjustments (were) needed at the refinery to refine the Russian crude," the minister told Reuters.

Energy imports make up the majority of the Pakistan's external payments. Islamabad imported 154,000 bpd of oil in 2022, around steady with the previous year, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.

The crude was predominantly supplied by the world's top exporter Saudi Arabia followed by the United Arab Emirates. The 100,000 bpd from Russia in theory greatly reduces Pakistan's need for Middle Eastern fuel.

 

Iran emerges second largest sponge iron producer in the world

According to an IRNA report, the World Steel Association (WSA), in its latest annual report, has ranked Iran second among the world’s top sponge iron-producing countries for the year 2022.

Islamic Republic managed to produce 32.9 million tons of sponge iron in 2022 to stand at second place after India with 42.3 million tons of production.

According to WSA, Iran also kept its place as the world’s 10th largest steel producer last year, with 30.6 million tons of crude steel output.

Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) was also reported to be the world’s 20th largest company based on the WSA ranking.

The total global production of crude steel in 2022 was 1.301 million tons while the consumption of this product in the world was 1.301 billion tons.

Earlier, WSA in its monthly report for April 2023 ranked Iran eighth among the world’s top steel-producing countries for the mentioned month, indicating a one-place rise compared to the previous month.

The April report showed that Iran’s crude steel output increased 5.9% in the mentioned month while the global average growth rate stood at negative 2.4%.

Based on the WSA data, Iran produced 3.1 million tons of crude steel in April.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic produced 9.7 million tons of steel in the first four months of 2023, registering a nominal growth of 0.1% as compared to the same period in the previous year.

WSA report said that the world’s 64 steel producers managed to produce 161.4 million tons of the commodity in April, 2.4% less than the figure for the previous year’s same period.

The steelmakers produced 622.7 million tons of steel in the first four months of this year, which indicates a 13% drop as compared to the same period last year.

According to the WSA report, China, India, Japan, the United States and Russia were the world’s top steel producers respectively.

The Iranian steel industry has been constantly developing over the past years despite all the pressures and obstacles created by outside forces like the US sanctions and the coronavirus outbreak that has severely affected the performance of the world’s top producers.

 

Iran, India cooperation in agriculture

According to Mehr News Agency, Iranian and Indian officials have agreed to form a joint committee for cooperation in agriculture between the two countries within the next three months.

The consensus was reached in a meeting between Iran's Deputy Agriculture Minister Mohammad Mehdi Borumandi and Secretary of India's Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry Manoj Ahuja in New Delhi.

Borumandi, traveled to New Delhi to hold talks on the agricultural cooperation between Iran and India and met with his Indian counterpart to review the latest status of bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture.

The officials also agreed to hold the first joint working group on agricultural cooperation between the two countries in the near future.

In the meeting, Borumandi stressed Iran's readiness for cooperation in various fields including horticultural products, medicinal plants, combating plant pests, agricultural technologies, exchange of professors and experts, and cooperation between research institutions of the two countries.

He considered the removal of tariff barriers on agricultural trade as a necessity for the future expansion of relations.

Manoj Ahuja, for his part, highlighted the cultural and geographical affinities between the two nations and expressed his country's readiness to develop agricultural relations with Iran.

Welcoming the fields proposed by the Iranian side for cooperation, the Indian official announced that the ban on the exports of kiwi to India, which had been temporarily prohibited since last year due to quarantine considerations, has been lifted.

The trade between Iran and India reached US$510 million in the first quarter of the current year, according to the data released by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

According to the report, agricultural products and especially rice had the largest share in India’s exports to Iran. Rice accounted for 63% of the total volume of exports, while fruits with US$15 million, and tea with US$10 million ranked second and third.

 

Israel: Protests against Judicial Reforms continue for 23rd week

Protests against the current government's plans to implement the judicial reforms continued throughout the country for the 23rd week in a row on Saturday evening with demonstrators raising a 200 square meter sign that stated: Type of citizen: dead in response to the 100th person killed this year as a result of crime in Arab areas in Israel.

Demonstrations were held in Dizengoff Square and Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, as well as in Haifa. 

Speakers at Kaplan Street, the main demonstration with the largest number of participants, included Dr. Thabat Abu Ras, co-CEO of the Abraham Initiatives Association, who criticized the current government on their handling of murders and crime in Arab society.

Many roads in Tel Aviv were closed to traffic due to the protests.

"This week is important and critical. We'll have to make sure that the practice of electing an opposition member and a coalition member is preserved," the organizers of the demonstrations said, referring to the composition of the committee that will select judges once the reforms are implemented. 

Approximately 80,000 people demonstrated in Kaplan Street, according to Ynet, while a report from Walla (citing the protest organizers) states that 100,000 people protested against the judicial reform overall in Tel Aviv.

More than one thousand people demonstrated in Jerusalem in front of the President's house, Ynet reported.

At the beginning of the demonstration, protestors observed a moment of silence in memory of the 100 Arab Israeli victims this year.

At the Nahalal junction, near Highway 73, demonstrators lit 100 candles in memory of the 100 victims of violence in Arab society since the beginning of the year.

About 3,500 people participated in the demonstration.